


Skins and Intent

by thawrecka



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-08-03
Updated: 2003-08-03
Packaged: 2017-11-20 04:20:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/581241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thawrecka/pseuds/thawrecka
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Parts of Dawn were once Buffy. Sometimes she remembers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Skins and Intent

Dawn was made out of Buffy.

She doesn't think about it much. The fake memories are all she has and she's accepted them as gospel. Still, sometimes she thinks about it.

She used to wonder what it meant, that bits of her were key and bits used to be part of Buffy. It used to intrigue her, the idea that skin that is now hers once wore cute shoes and rubbed up against Xander.

Then she would think about the rubbing up against Angel and it would ick her out.

Sometimes, though, she'll do something (or see something) and feel sure she's done it before. Some sort of 'flesh remembers' thing, except it wasn't her flesh when those things happened.

 

Dawn dances somewhere near the middle of the crowd. The lights flash around and over her, and the music throbs through her veins. Willow and Kennedy are somewhere around, probably making out, and last time Dawn checked Buffy and Faith were at the bar. Some of the other girls are scattered across the dance floor, but she knows the rest of them are off with Giles doing, well, some strange slayer thing she didn't ask about.

See Faith had decided they had to have a girl's night out now that the world isn't going to end, and Willow agreed, asking Buffy again and again until she capitulated. So, there they were and here Dawn is, bouncing about to the music. Dawn feels kind of bad for Xander and Principal Wood being stuck with Andrew, but then again she kind of likes Andrew and finds Principal Wood kind of creepy, so it's all good.

Dawn brings her hands up over her head and twists and rolls. She feels the music flow through her and she moves with it. She drags her hands down and really opens her eyes, barely avoiding the guy who stumbles to her side. She continues to bounce about, knowing she doesn't look as spastic as she imagines. After all, she learned to dance from Buffy.

The song ends. Dawn's throat is kind of dry so she heads towards the bar to ask for a glass of water. She finds Amanda there, covertly sipping some strange blue drink.

"Hey," Dawn says. "What's that."

"I got this guy to buy it for me. I think it has vodka in it. Do you want a taste?" Amanda asks.

Dawn grins. "Just a sip."

Amanda holds out the glass and Dawn leans in and drinks a little. It's fruity, overly sweet, and Dawn hands the glass back.

"I don't think it's for me," she admits.

 

Sometimes Dawn thinks her little moments of deja vu have a taste. Buffy moments taste something like orange juice, with a little bit of grapefruit mixed in. Key moments taste kind of like jelly babies.

Sometimes she'll look at one of Giles ancient texts and think 'I've seen this before'.

Sometimes she'll look back at one of her memories and be unsure whether she ought to be the one on the swing or the one pushing.

 

Dawn goes to find Buffy. She finds her, further along the bar, looking into the crowd and ignoring the drink in her hands. Dawn bounces up beside her and tries to see what Buffy was looking at.

"Hey, Dawn," Buffy greets absently.

Dawn can see Willow and Kennedy on the dance floor, making out just like she suspected. She can see Faith a little further in, dancing up a storm. Kind of a skanky storm, to be honest. Some guy is just all over her back and she's, like, rubbing against the person in front of her.

"You're not trying to drink, are you?" Buffy asks, suddenly panicked.

Dawn looks back to Buffy, smiling earnestly.

"Don't worry," she says, holding up the hand with the stamp. "I just wanted some water."

"Sorry," Buffy says. "I guess I just can't help myself."

"No, that's cool," Dawn assures her.

Buffy turns around and asks the guy behind the bar for a glass of water.

"How come you got a drink if you're not even going to drink it?" Dawn asks.

Buffy looks at the drink in her hand as if just realising it was there. "Oh, this. Faith bought it for me. She said I needed to loosen up. I told her the last time I got too loose there was badness but she didn't listen."

The bar guy returns with a glass of water and pushes it in Dawn's direction. She smiles and says, "thank you," before picking it up and gulping half of it down in one go.

"Wow, that's fast," Buffy says.

"Well, dancing's thirsty work," Dawn says shrugging. "You should take at least one sip so you can say you tried it and didn't like it."

Buffy laughs, and does so. "Better?"

"Heaps," Dawn replies.

At that moment Faith appears, smiling and shining and bumping Buffy's elbow a little.

"Hey, B," she says, kind of breathless. "You're not going to drink that?"

"I don't think it's for me," Buffy admits, holding out the glass.

Faith takes it and drinks it all in one go, gulp after gulp after gulp. She licks her lips and puts the glass down on the bar.

"Wow! That's kind of impressive," Dawn says.

"I live to please," Faith says in her rusty voice.

Buffy snorts.

"Come on, girlfriend, get up and dance," Faith says, tugging at Buffy's elbow.

"I'm okay with sitting," Buffy says, prim.

"Dance with me, Buffy. I can't leave you here on your own," Faith pleads.

"I'm not on my..."

"Go on, Buffy," Dawn encourages. "Get up and shake your groove thing."

Buffy laughs hopelessly.

"Okay, I can see I'm outnumbered. I give," she says, good-natured and takes Faith's hand.

Faith pulls her up and drags her into the crowd. Dawn can see Buffy moving, all shoulder and hip, and Faith giving herself up to the music. Buffy laughs a little.

Someone bumps Buffy forward and she and Faith move closer, nearly touching with every movement. Buffy's face goes kind of serious, as she and Faith look at each other.

Watching this, Dawn has that strange feeling that this has happened before.

Buffy and Faith bump into each other, and Faith's hands land on Buffy's hips. They move together to the pounding beat.

Buffy puts her hands on Faith's waist and leans in real close.

Dawn drinks the rest of her water and her mouth tastes like orange.


End file.
